Product review: Kinect Sesame Street TV
Kinect Sesame Street TV lets kids have a two-way interaction with their favorite "Sesame Street" characters. Credit: Handout
My 18-month-old daughter, Maggie, has just about mastered apps on an iPhone and iPad. Sure she needs a bit of direction but on her favorite apps, she knows how to turn the pages, when to sing the songs and which apps house her favorite characters.
So when I heard about a new "Sesame Street" game for Kinect, I knew I had to give it a try with Maggie.
Technically, Kinect Sesame Street TV isn't a game, although it runs on Xbox 360, a system that I've become quite familiar with since getting married.
We tried it the other day and it was as if our living room transformed into Sesame Street. Basically, Grover, Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and the rest of gang are able to have a two-way conversation with us through the Kinect, a motion and voice-sensing controller.
Kids can sit and watch the "Sesame Street" episodes, or they can play along, for example, with Grover as he counts coconuts you've thrown or with Elmo as you pick carrots from his garden.
Maggie didn't quite get the fact that she can interact with her favorite characters but I suspect she will as she gets a little older (Kinect Sesame Street is recommended for children ages 3 and up).
Her favorite part, which is what makes this product unique, was the ability for us to "step into" the television and be apart of "Elmo's World." Instead of an on-screen avatar that many games use to mimic your movement, Kinect Sesame Street features an on-screen mirror so you can actually see yourself on television. Maggie was fascinated that she could see herself (and us) with Elmo and Mr. Noodle.
You can purchase the Kinect Sesame Sreet TV, which includes eight 30-minute episodes on two discs, for $30 on toysrus.com or target.com.
